| CONTRIBUTE |
BREAKING THE ICE
“We can do this on our own.” – Jonathan Archer
Episode: 1.8 Original Airdate: 11/07/2001
Mission Date: Unknown
“We can do this on our own.” – Jonathan Archer
Episode: 1.8 Original Airdate: 11/07/2001
Mission Date: Unknown
| SEASON 1 |
SYNOPSIS
After stumbling across a unique comet containing a rare mineral, the Enterprise stops to investigate and finds
itself shadowed by an unwelcome guest, the Vulcan ship To’Mur. With a team collecting core samples on the
comet’s surface, Archer attempts to ascertain the Vulcan ship's presence while grappling with his crew’s latest
mission. Meanwhile, T’Pol receives some disturbing news and chooses Mr. Tucker to help her make a decision.
EPISODE DATA ANALYSIS
Stellar Phenomenon: Archer’s Comet
Technology Encountered: Maymora-class Starship, Plasma Torch, Protein Resequencer, Surak-class Starship,
Tractor Beam
Historical Facts:
This is first time we see a Vulcan ship on Enterprise. The unique ship is the Surak-class Ti'Mur, captained by
Vanik, and has a top speed of warp 6.5.
The episode reveals that T'Pol is betrothed to a Vulcan named Koss and has been since she was a child. Koss
makes an appearance later in the fourth season.
We learn that Vulcan’s encrypt their private transmissions and caffeine has little effect on the Vulcan physiology.
Phlox is from a planetary system called Denobula Triaxa, and at the time of this episode, over 200 million space-
dwelling microbes have been cataloged.
The episode also explains several of the ships systems. We learn how the sewage treatment system works
aboard a starship (which I am not going to get into for obvious reasons). We also find out that the NX-01 is
equipped with a hydroponic green house and learn a bit more about the ship’s primitive food “replicator” or
protein resequencer.
This is the second time we see the grappler used on the show. The mechanism's magnetic tethers are deployed
by a retractable arm located in Launch Bay 2.
The comet that the crew has stopped to study is whopping 82.6km diameter, which is about the same size as
Elara, one of Jupiter's Moons (80 km diameter). On average, most comets are about 10km across, while very few,
for example Hale-Bopp 1997, are 50km across. Compared to the cometary satellites we have presently studied,
Archer’s Comet is very big and note worthy specimen indeed.
The writers continue their interest in Trip’s eating habits by adding another favorite to his list: pecan pie. We also
learn that he has had three serious relationships in his life, which may be hard for some of us to believe.
Production Facts:
It is interesting to note that the doorway seen behind the Vulcan Captain during his viewscreen conversations
with the Enterprise is very similar to the angled wall braces found in the corridors on The Original Series
Enterprise. This is the start of the production crew’s effort to introduce certain designs and aesthetics in future
Federation races that would be incorporated into “later” Starfleet designs.
This episode offers the first glimpse we have of T’Pol’s quarters. While sparsely decorated, the most distinct
object is the hexagonal artwork above the meditation space. This wall sculpture made its first appearance on
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and was used on Star Trek: Voyager as well.
The silver coffee pot we see in Archer’s Ready Room is the same coffee pot Neelix served Janeway his infamous
“coffee substitute” on Star Trek: Voyager. Later in the season we will see that Archer may have pilfered some of
Neelix’s silver and black coffee cups as well.
This episode garnered an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series.
After stumbling across a unique comet containing a rare mineral, the Enterprise stops to investigate and finds
itself shadowed by an unwelcome guest, the Vulcan ship To’Mur. With a team collecting core samples on the
comet’s surface, Archer attempts to ascertain the Vulcan ship's presence while grappling with his crew’s latest
mission. Meanwhile, T’Pol receives some disturbing news and chooses Mr. Tucker to help her make a decision.
EPISODE DATA ANALYSIS
Stellar Phenomenon: Archer’s Comet
Technology Encountered: Maymora-class Starship, Plasma Torch, Protein Resequencer, Surak-class Starship,
Tractor Beam
Historical Facts:
This is first time we see a Vulcan ship on Enterprise. The unique ship is the Surak-class Ti'Mur, captained by
Vanik, and has a top speed of warp 6.5.
The episode reveals that T'Pol is betrothed to a Vulcan named Koss and has been since she was a child. Koss
makes an appearance later in the fourth season.
We learn that Vulcan’s encrypt their private transmissions and caffeine has little effect on the Vulcan physiology.
Phlox is from a planetary system called Denobula Triaxa, and at the time of this episode, over 200 million space-
dwelling microbes have been cataloged.
The episode also explains several of the ships systems. We learn how the sewage treatment system works
aboard a starship (which I am not going to get into for obvious reasons). We also find out that the NX-01 is
equipped with a hydroponic green house and learn a bit more about the ship’s primitive food “replicator” or
protein resequencer.
This is the second time we see the grappler used on the show. The mechanism's magnetic tethers are deployed
by a retractable arm located in Launch Bay 2.
The comet that the crew has stopped to study is whopping 82.6km diameter, which is about the same size as
Elara, one of Jupiter's Moons (80 km diameter). On average, most comets are about 10km across, while very few,
for example Hale-Bopp 1997, are 50km across. Compared to the cometary satellites we have presently studied,
Archer’s Comet is very big and note worthy specimen indeed.
The writers continue their interest in Trip’s eating habits by adding another favorite to his list: pecan pie. We also
learn that he has had three serious relationships in his life, which may be hard for some of us to believe.
Production Facts:
It is interesting to note that the doorway seen behind the Vulcan Captain during his viewscreen conversations
with the Enterprise is very similar to the angled wall braces found in the corridors on The Original Series
Enterprise. This is the start of the production crew’s effort to introduce certain designs and aesthetics in future
Federation races that would be incorporated into “later” Starfleet designs.
This episode offers the first glimpse we have of T’Pol’s quarters. While sparsely decorated, the most distinct
object is the hexagonal artwork above the meditation space. This wall sculpture made its first appearance on
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and was used on Star Trek: Voyager as well.
The silver coffee pot we see in Archer’s Ready Room is the same coffee pot Neelix served Janeway his infamous
“coffee substitute” on Star Trek: Voyager. Later in the season we will see that Archer may have pilfered some of
Neelix’s silver and black coffee cups as well.
This episode garnered an Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series.
Written By: Maria Jacquemetton & Andre Jacquemetton
Directed By: Terry Windell
GUEST CAST
William Utay Vanik
Directed By: Terry Windell
GUEST CAST
William Utay Vanik
| MAIN PAGE |
| SEASON 1 |
| APPENDIX |
| SEASON 2 |
| SEASON 3 |
| SEASON 4 |